How to -- Get started

Submitted by ggevalt on Sun, 08/21/2011 - 4:18pm

TEACHERS: You will be setting up your own digital classrooms -- don't worry; it's quite easy and will probably be quicker than sending us your class lists. And we have a video and text walk through on how to do both: In the HELP section, you will see information on how to a) Set up your individual classrooms and the tags system and b) to add students' usernames to your new classroom.

Please contact Nick Brooks, your teacher coach, to arrange a time for YWP to come in for training/setup.

For a more detailed menu of help topics, click here. (Takes you to a different site, ywpschools.net)

This Digital Writing Classroom is set up for each student and teacher to have access to private classroom space. To access your space, or classroom, you must log in using the username and password you have been given for this site. None of the student email addresses is functional. Teachers have working email addresses.

Log in. YWP will work with a project contact to update the userlist on this site and will help teachers add new students and setup new class configurations. As a protocol, student users will have usernames of their FirstnameL(ast intial). So Barack Obama would be BarackO. If there happens to be two Baracks in the school, the second would have the second letter of his last name. So Barack Ossing would be BarackOs. Your teacher has your passwords.

If you wish to change your password  click  "My account" and "Edit." Change the password to something you can remember; we suggest you use the same password you use to log into your school network. Please do not put any personal information in your profile.

Navigation. Once you log in, you will see in the upper left hand column a series of navigational links. Here is what they do:

  • My Account is where you can change your password. Please do not keep personal information on this profile; your email address is a non-working email; do not change. You can also access your personal content with this link.

    • My Messages takes you to messages you have received from your teacher. Sorry, the messaging does not allow students to message each other.
    • My Workspace takes you to a table view of your blog, wiki or journal posts and to tabs for your comments and attachments.
    • My Blog takes you directly to a view of the full text of your blogs, the basic content type students use on this site.
  • Create & Post content takes you to all available content types.

    • Blog entry is a link for students to create the basic story type they will use to complete assignments, share additional work or post ideas and other writing.
    • Journal entry is a link to a content type used for journals, series or a writing project that has sequential parts.
    • Wiki entry is a link to create a wiki or a document that can be edited by anyone on the site. Note: Students cannot simultaneously edit a wiki. This is a project where others can add to or change the content.
    • Student Exercise is a link for teachers to create an exercise or assignment.
  • My classroom will take you to the front page of your classroom space or, if you are in multiple classrooms, to a list of your classrooms. Once in your classroom, tabs will direct you to assignments, assignment tags and a list of students. (Note: To see another student's work, click on the "Class Members" tab, click on their name and click on "view recent content created by..."

    • Recent posts gives you a variety of ways to see work by other students -- and teachers.
    • News Feeds is a link to news feeds set up by teachers. (Note: In those feeds, you will note a blue "b" beside a headline; click that to create a blog entry with title, summary and embedded link of the story which you are referencing.)

      • Add News Feed is a link for teachers to create a new news feed. (Copy the RSS url of your news or search feed first.)
      • Categories is a link to the various categories of news feeds set up on the site.
  • Administer (and additional links) are for teachers to do some basic plumbing on the site.
  • Log out is something you should click any time you are finished on the site.

YWP is happy to make any administrative changes or fixes. Just contact us by email: support@youngwritersproject.org  or by phone: (802) 324-9537 or 324-9538 or 324-9539. (TEACHERS: DO NOT HESITATE to call or contact us with any questions or problems.)

For a more detailed menu of help topics, click here. (Takes you to a different site, ywpschools.net)